


Brighter Days

by twlghtprincess



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 23:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11301129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twlghtprincess/pseuds/twlghtprincess
Summary: In the wake of Battle of Endor, the victorious rebellion catches a respite. Leia, Han, and Luke find time to simply be; not the last alderaanian princess, nor the last jedi knight, nor a rogue scoundrel, but a girl, a boy, and their best friend.





	Brighter Days

**Ⴝ** he woke up slowly, the sound of chirping larks drawing her from a deep sleep. Leia blinked deliberately, her doe eyes illuminated bay the bright dawn streaming through the makeshift hut. For what seemed like the first time in months, she realized that she had slept a dreamless sleep, her mind clear of the haunting experiences of war. It was as if the final destruction of the Death Star, and its primary proponents, had assuaged her nighttime terrors. Leia sighed softly before shifting her face, eyes drawn to a new sight. Han lay at her side, his broad chest rising and falling peacefully. His hair was almost golden in the morning light, his profile illuminated by the Endor sun. Her thoughts drifted to the night before.

* * *

     It was the memory of a secluded balcony in the sky where they had retreated as the festivities died down. Holding each other close, Han had pleaded with her. “Leia… you’re a little different now, ever since I found you and Luke whispering up here. What’s wrong?” His voice was low and _familiar_. She had only shrugged. “Nothing, I’m fine. Hard to believe we finally won…” she drifted off as she stepped back, leaning against the bridge’s rustic handrails. In the corner of her eye, Han frowned before stepping toward her. “You can tell me, Leia.” The space between them was no more than a foot, but somehow her skin prickled at his body heat as if he were a hot rod too close and yet, bumps rose across her cold arm as if there were miles between them. There was no longer such a thing as too close, or too far. Not for them. Not anymore.

     She had closed the distance then, reaching up to hold his face. His larger, rougher hands enveloped her own. “It’s not… It’s not something you want to hear,” she had murmured, large eyes searching his in the moonlight. Han only waited silently, his clear eyes soft. Dropping her hands to her sides, Leia turned away a second time, speaking to the forest rather than him. “Han, Luke is my brother.” She felt him shift and take a step closer. “You told me that earlier…” he started, but she glanced up, her hands gripping the low wooden bridge so they would not tremble. “And… Vader was our father.” Leia mindfully used the past tense. Vader _was_ their father, and their father was _dead_.

     Han frowned, his eyes incredulous. “How can you know that?” She ducked her head, staring at her hands. “I just know, I don’t know how to explain it but I… I know Luke is right.” There was nothing but the whispering winds rushing through the high tree boughs between them for a moment. Then Han spoke. “If you’re worried about… well us… because of, you know - that… Don’t be.” She enveloped him in a tight hug, swallowing hard past the ball in her throat. Han’s hands came to a rest on her hair and the nape of her neck, his voice a soft rumble in his chest. “You don’t have to be scared of him anymore. We’re safe now, and I love you. You know that, right?” She could not help but smile and nodded before tilting her head to rest under his jaw.

* * *

     Han stirred at Lea’s side, jarring her attention from her thoughts. Smiling softly, she reached over to brush his hair out of his closed eyes, wincing when her wounded arm stung in its bandaged wrap. “Are you going to sleep in all day?” she whispered, sitting up slowly so as not to jostle him. His voice was as rough and groggy as hers was smooth and clear. “Fighting empire cronies is exhausting you know…” he mumbled into the pillow. She drove her fingers through her braid, dark tresses falling past her shoulders in waves. “And celebrating until four.” He chuckled. “That too.” Leaning down, Leia placed a soft kiss to his temple.

     Han lay still, allowing her affections for a moment before twisting his head toward her, his nose meeting hers. Leia laughed softly, kissing the tip of his nose before trying to move away. Han reached out, pulling her closer. “Han, come on…” she complained weakly, grinning when he lay her across his lap and tilted her chin to meet her eyes. “What’s the rush?” Han murmured, tracing her jawline, his half-smile almost more than she could resist. As Leia tried to explain all the places they needed to be and all the reasons they needed to be there, Han found himself enraptured in the way the sun illuminated her brown eyes and the curve of her lips. Leaning down, he placed a firm kiss to her lips neither could help but fall into, his arm encircled around her shoulders, his lips a little cracked but no less welcome.

     “You know what you need?” he asked after breaking the kiss. Leia blinked a few times to clear the daze from her features. “A vacation.” He said it so seriously she scoffed. “Han, there is still so much to do, I have to-” She was interrupted again, this time with his fingers placed on her bottom lip. “Hush - now come on.” He lept out of bed, pulling her up easily until she was standing, but only for a moment, before she was tripping after him as he ducked out of the hut.

     They passed several individuals, Ewoks and rebels alike. Han did not stop until they stood before Luke. “And here I thought you’d sleep in till mid-day!” Luke laughed, smiling at his sister and friend. “You wish–listen, kid. Want to take a little trip?” Luke grinned, with no hint of skepticism. Unlike his little sister. “Sure, where to?” It was Han’s turn to grin. “Great! Meet me at the base of this treehouse in fifteen minutes!” Luke and Leia watched him go, the former shaking his head and the latter watching him go in disbelief. “Do you know where he’s taking us?” Luke asked, resting a hand on her shoulder. She only shrugged.

     As promised, Han met them at the base of the great redwood where the Ewoks lived, Chewbacca strolling behind him. Leia smiled when she saw the Wookie; she could not remember the last time she had seen Han’s copilot without his bowcaster in hand. “Alright boys, my lady,” he grinned, taking her hand. They walked leisurely through the grove, the sky-scraping trees providing a canopy of shade from the sun. Leia eyed several broken machines, charred armor, and forgotten weaponry scattered on the forest floor, but the further they walked, the less often these alien items marred the landscape.

     Han never let go of Leia’s hand, leading her and the others as if he had been there several times. Luke trailed them a few paces behind, and Chewy strolled at his side. Luke watched his sister and friend with joy; he knew each had harbored love for the other for some time, but both had been too stubborn to see it until it had almost been too late. Taking a deep breath, he found himself enjoying the planet that, only one day before, had been considered a battleground; nothing more than a stage where all played a part in the Empire’s demise.

     “Where are we going, Han?” Leia asked him, glancing up. “Just relax, take it all in. We’re… exploring. I don’t know where we will end up, but I know what I’m looking for to get there.” Leia scrunched up her nose before twisting her head to look over her shoulder at Luke, who only shrugged and grinned back. Chewy laughed quietly, watching the three.

     Soon the path disappeared beneath their wandering feet, replaced with bright green ferns and damp undergrowth. Leia was forced to walk slower, a step behind Han with one hand lifting the edges of her dress and the other securely in his hand. Luke had an easier time, following behind the Wookie who left a wide path of cleared grass and stray branches that would have been in his own path. Every now and then, a songbird’s call filled the air above them, and field mice and squirrels scurried out of their way. Soon, all could hear the sound of rushing water get closer as their direction turned more downward sloping.

     Within moments, they found themselves walking next to a trickling brook, which grew from a brook to a tripping stream to a wide river which spilled over a cliff and into a pool of clear, laughing waters. The four of them stood over the cliff, which was no more than ten feet, looking out over the forest wall. There were scattered clouds in the sky, framing a bright sun and brilliant blue sky. A gray spot replaced the last coordinates the Death Star occupied before its demise comprised of nothing more than stardust now; but otherwise, it was as if the planet, or at least they area they found themselves in now, had been untouched by the war. Leia looked around with a faint smile; she dreamed of a galaxy to reach the same state - peaceful and unspoiled and _free._

     Han let go of Leia’s hand and let his pack down before starting to remove his shoes. She glanced down, staring tentatively at him. “What are you doing?” Han peeled a sock off before struggling with the other. “Um, what does it look like?” His gun holster came off next, dropping unceremoniously at his bare feet. His vest followed shortly. “Don’t tell me you’re jumping into that! It’s probably cold and the bottom could be filled with rocks or animals or… I don’t know…” Leia peered over the edge again. Luke watched them, clear eyes darting between the two with a smirk. “Can’t be that bad - and I’ve been in swamps.” Han reached out to punch Luke’s arm lightly, laughing. “And trash compactor gunk, right Princess?” Leia narrowed her eyes.

     “Live a little!” Han laughed again, brushing Leia’s cheek with his index finger before leaping out over the pool of water. The trio watched him flail a bit before curling up and entering the water with a splash, his voice ringing out over the forest, “YaaaHOOO!”. Luke laughed before glancing at his sister. “It will be fun, come on!” He leapt over the edge as well, far more gracefully in a diver’s head down position, still dressed head to toes with his shoes, lightsaber and all. Han was already wading in a circle but stopped long enough to splash Luke when he resurfaced. Then he glanced up at his best friend and girlfriend, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Come down!”

     Leia sighed, slipping out of her sandals that were, at this point, wet and dirty from the trek. Chewy called down loudly and began his decent, grabbing Han’s bag and effects before slipping his fingers through the straps of her discarded shoes. “You’re not going to swim?” Chewy half-shrugged, uttering a language she did not quite understand, before continuing. She took it as a “maybe”. Peering over the edge, her brown eyes grew wide. “This doesn’t look very safe…” she called down, drawing a boisterous laugh from Han. “Princess!” he called up, still choking back laughter. “You’re talking about safe yet you lead star fleets in space! Come _on,_ you’ll be perfectly safe! I’ll _protect_ you!” Luke waved up at his sister before leaping on Han’s shoulders, pushing him under the water. They struggled playfully, dunking each other and laughing when they weren’t head under water. Leia, still perched on the cliff above, watched with a small smile.

     Luke had always been the happier, hopeful one. Seeing him joke around caused her own hope to flicker; perhaps if he could heal from the ordeal of the past few years, she could as well. Heal from what she suffered at the hands of her father, learn to love after all she had ever loved was taken from her. Maybe the people and worlds she had fought for would also rebuild and be free. It was all she had ever wanted for them - for her. Taking a deep breath, she stood, her toes clinging to the rock as she tilted her weight over the precipice. “Watch out!” Then she jumped.

     Han and Luke stopped for a moment, making sure they were out of her path. The skirts of her dress caught between her thighs, her long hair flowing freely behind her for a second before she plunged, pointed toes first, into the water. Leia surfaced gasping for breath, the water far colder than she had expected. Kicking wildly, she moved toward the boys. “This is _freezing_ , why didn’t you _say_ anything!” She half chattered, reaching out and punching Han’s arm lightly. He reached out, holding the same hand close to his heart. “It’s not that bad, especially if you keep moving. Luke!” He called over his shoulder toward the young man who had just come up for air, his blonde hair plastered over his eyes. “A race, the three of us, get over here!”

     All three waded to one end of the water, a clear thirty yards in front of them. Han was about to count down when Chewbacca called out above them. “What’d he say?” Luke asked, his head bobbing just above the water’s surface. “He’s going to judge the winner, not that either of you will beat me,” he smirked. “Alright, one… two… three!” Leia started well, kicking off a mossy rock behind her before kicking furiously. Luke threw himself forward, breathing deeply and keeping his limbs in sync. But neither was a match for Han, who had been swimming since he could walk, unlike Luke, and who was head and shoulders over Leia. As expected he reached the end first, Luke and Leia following respectively. “Surprise, surprise,” Leia smirked, looking up at Chewbacca.

     But he wasn’t there. She looked back at Han in confusion in time to see him point up at the cliff again. Glancing back, she saw the Wookie jump five feet away from the cliff before curling up in a ball. The splash he created was enormous, causing everything in the pool to stir and drenching Leia, Han and Luke. He came up a few seconds later, a wave rolling out toward them and away from his body. Han laughed and waded toward him. “Who won?” he asked his copilot before getting dunked by said copilot. Chewy chuckled and spoke to the twins. “If you’re saying he’s cocky, then yes, I agree,” Leia laughed, splashing Han when he came up again.

     Han tried to splash back, but with his eyes half closed, he splashed Luke accidentally, starting a miniature water war between the four. Leia fought back as well as she could, but after a face full of water, she moved to float some ways away as the boys dunked and splashed each other almost mercilessly. By the end of it, all three were laughing, and Leia moved back to rest against Han’s back as he floated easily, her arms wrapped around his chest. He rested his hands on hers under the water as the pool calmed after their shenanigans.

     After over an hour swimming, racing, splashing, and floating on the pool, the three emerged to sit on the banks of their new found oasis. Chewbacca had unpacked the items from his and Han’s bags, revealing a spread of various foods, two thin towels, and a few flasks. Luke was the first to sit, removing his shoes first and spreading them out over a mossy rock bathed in the afternoon sun. Leia wrung her her gently and Han shook his head quickly, resembling a playful puppy as his wet hair flopped left and right. “This was a good idea Han,” Luke sighed happily, grabbing a pear apple to snack on. Han sat down cross-legged next to Chewbacca, smirking. “Don’t have to sound so surprised, I have a lot of good ideas. Right Leia?”

     Leia sat down on her skirt with her legs tucked under her, some of her weight falling against Han. She was the only one in the sun, in an attempt to keep warm after their swim. Han wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed gently, noting her lips were paler than normal. “It was, actually… How did you know this was here?” Han handed her a plate Chewy had compiled as he shrugged. He noticed her bandage had fallen off in the water, but since the would had not reopened, he let her be. “I didn’t really… Living on Corellia, you sorta learn how to navigate these kinds of terrains. Water flows downward and creates its own little natural trenches when it rains. I noticed when we flew in the Ewoks were pretty high, so I just followed the tell-tale signs of water. And got a little lucky I guess,” he smiled. Chewbacca spoke next to him, utterances beyond what Luke and Leia understood, but he chuckled, causing the twins to smile. “It wasn’t all luck, ok? I know how to find what I want,” Han grumbled before taking a drink from a flask.

     The four companions spent the afternoon in the sun, drying off from their swim and relishing in their escape from leadership and responsibility. They shared stories; most were of their childhoods, and Han even translated a few stories that Chewbacca retold of the clone wars. Luke and Leia especially were enraptured by the stories of the Old Republic, whereas Han had heard it before. Luke’s eyes widened when Han said that Chewbacca was assigned to Yoda’s forces. “You knew Yoda?” Luke interrupted Han, gazing up at the Wookie. He nodded, murmuring low utterances and holding out his arm to show how tall he was. Luke laughed. “That’s incredible; you knew a Jedi master!” Chewbacca answered he had known other Jedi masters, but Luke did not catch this. Leia and Han glanced at each other. “Wait, slow down Luke… who is Yoda?” Leia asked, leaning toward her brother.

     Luke told them about the little creature he found - or rather who found him - when he first landed on Dagobah. “Why were you on Dagobah… Wait, where is Dagobah?” Han asked, his face contorted in confusion. Luke grinned and took his story back further, to his encounter with Obi Wan after escaping the Wampa’s cave. Leia and Han listened quietly with only minor interruptions. When he was done, Chewbacca murmured to the three, and Han spoke up. “Chewbacca wants to know if you could take him to Dagobah some time, says he wouldn’t mind catching up with the old guy.” Luke’s face fell, and he looked up at Chewy. “I’m sorry, Chewbacca… Yoda has passed.” He groaned lowly in mourning before grunting a quiet response, shaking his head. “What’d he say?” Luke asked lowly, his eyes downcast.

     “He said, ‘like the others’,” Han responded, passing a bottle of water to Leia. “He knew other Jedi, you know? They weren’t all as lucky as this Yoda.” Leia looked up at Han. “I thought you didn’t believe in all this Jedi stuff.” Han shrugged. “Look, on long trips in the Falcon, we would share stories. He told me about Jedi and clone wars and his planet, and I told him about ships and old friends, close scrapes and - you know, smuggler stuff. Just because I didn’t believe in the force didn’t mean I didn’t believe him when he told me about people who followed all that stuff back then.” Leia smiled softly at his use of the past tense. Perhaps he could learn after all.

     She looked up at his first mate, suddenly realizing the age and life experiences hidden behind his clear blue eyes. “Does it make you sad talking about the old times, Chewy? What were the Jedi like?” Chewbacca shook his head in response to her first question and retold a few memories to the twins. He had served with a Mirialan woman and Kiffar man, Jedi masters with very different styles of fighting despite sharing the same title. It interested Leia to hear of the woman, who was the first female Jedi she had ever heard of.

     Han told his friend’s tales patiently, relishing in the closeness with his friends. Being a smuggler, he tried never to get too close to people. It was a dangerous business, and he found it safer to keep acquaintances, never friends - with the exception of his first mate. But now, he didn’t have to go back to that kind of life. With Leia at his side and his rebellion status as a general, he had more options for the future. No more running for his life, or taking on odd jobs to make a living. It was an almost an alien concept, but he could get used to it. Looking down at his side to Leia, whose hair glowed gold in the sunlight, he held her a little closer. Yes, he could get used to this.

     They started back toward the tree village in the late afternoon, the sun shining on their backs as they walked leisurely. As they got closer, Ewoks waved at them and chirruped before going back to collecting all the broken machinery and stray parts of the battles. Leia noticed they worked somberly otherwise and knew their first order of business that morning had been collecting their fallen warriors. When they reached the village, they were greeted again by Ewoks and rebels. There were fewer of the latter, of course, as most had left to see their families or travel back to their home planets to spread the news. Others had stayed, for the celebrations and company, and were helping prepare another feast.

     “Looks pretty busy around here… I’m going to clean up and get ready,” Leia whispered to Han before leaning up and kissing his cheek. He watched her leave appreciatively, and Luke took her place at his side. “Did you tell her you love her yet?” Luke asked, grinning widely. Han blinked hard, a little preoccupied. “What?”

     “What?” Luke mimicked, chuckling. Han finally turned toward him. “Actually I did, right before she saved my life.” Luke nodded and reached up to press Han’s shoulder firmly. “Good… I’m happy for you two. And I know you’ll make her happy.” Han nodded, clapping his friend on the back. “I hope so - for as long as I live, I’ll certainly try. It’s the least I can do…” he murmured. They were joined a few minutes later by Leia, her hair tied back in a thick side braid and clothed in a new dress, also made by their new, indigenous friends. The four shared in the merriment of the night, looking forward to many more celebratory days ahead. While there was still work to be done, they had helped create a new hope for the future. And somehow, that made it all worthwhile.


End file.
